I take inspiration from my past experiences as a seamstress, patternmaker, printmaking, painter, cook and mother, and incorporate it into the work.
I continue to be drawn to clay, although other arts such as painting, pastels, drawing and sewing, diverting me away, but feedback into clay work and glazes. I also take great inspiration from my surroundings, garden, beach, river, native bush and natural beauty of the Kapiti Coast and Central Otago.
As my work is mainly vessel based, I am always aware of the importance of the way a piece functions, not only visually but how it feels in your hands, its weight and the texture of the surface and glaze. Food being central to our lives, I want a vessel to be complimentary and part of our day-to-day life.
I work in a variety of clays and fire with electric and gas kilns. Combining techniques of throwing, altering, slab and hand building.
I am interested in developing interesting surfaces, by using coloured slips, stamps and textures from prints and then layering on the glaze, to bring vibrancy to the finished piece. This plays a large part in terracotta and 1200C work.
Alternatively I enjoy making high fired, clean, simple work from porcelain and then allowing the firing to influence the clay and glaze colour.
Each series of work is very different and allows me to play with ideas and technique which is a challenge and a joy.